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Stuffed Animal Portrait Party

Have a local illustrator draw a portrait of your favorite stuffed animal or doll! Join Cathryn Falwell, Rebekah Lowell, Neesha Hudson, Melissa Sweet, and Kevin Hawkes at the Main Library on Saturday, June 8, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for this special event! Sign up in advance to meet an illustrator, and hang out with them while they create an original portrait of your best stuffed animal friend for you to keep. Portraits are free, but donations will be accepted to benefit the Friends of the South Portland Public Library.

Please note that pre-registration is required for a portrait, though the general public is welcome to attend. You can register in person at the Main Library or by calling Youth Services at 767-7660 x 3. Registration will be open first to South Portland residents and South Portland Public Library card holders.

During this event, Print: A Bookstore will be selling books, and the artists will be available to sign them as they have time.

About the Illustrators:

Cathryn Falwell has been making books since she was a young child. Before she could read or write, she made pictures and taped them together into homemade books–the rest is history! From Rainbow Stew to Turtle Splash!, her award winning stories have been a delight to children for over 25 years. Her newest book, A Space for Me, will be out in 2020. When not writing or making collages, Cathryn spends her time hiking, traveling, kayaking and quilting.

Rebekah Lowell is an author/illustrator and children’s librarian based in Southern Maine. Her debut middle grade novel in verse, The Road to After, will be published by Nancy Paulsen Books at Penguin in spring of 2022. When not in her studio, you can find her outside exploring with her family, passing on the same wild Maine childhood that she had.

Neesha Hudson spends most of her days drawing funny little characters while wrangling a free-thinking four year old. She is the illustrator of Walk Your Dog. Her work can also be found in Aesop’s Fables (Parragon 2018), Ladybug, and Babybug magazine. She is also the Portfolio Showcase winner of the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators 2019 conference. When not illustrating, Neesha enjoys spending time with her husband who is a photographer, their two children, two dogs, and four chickens.

Melissa Sweet has illustrated over 100 books as well as toys, puzzles, and games for Eeboo. She has received numerous awards, including two Caldecott honors for A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams and The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus, both by Jen Bryant. Melissa has written four books, the most recent of which is Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White, which was a New York Times best seller and garnered an NCTE Orbis Pictus Award, and a Boston Globe Horn Book Honor for nonfiction.

Kevin Hawkes is an author/illustrator of over 50 acclaimed picture and chapter books including the New York Times best seller, Library Lion, written by Michelle Knudsen. His other books include Have a Look, Says Book, Chicken Cheeks, The Librarian Who Measured the Earth, and Weslandia, which is celebrating its 20th year this year. Kevin’s vibrant colors, unusual perspectives, and dry sense of humor are hallmarks of his work. He lives with his wife and children in Southern Maine where he finds inspiration in the rocky coasts, towering forests, and beautiful lakes.

Please note that portraits will take approximately 10-15 minutes each. When you register, you can choose which 15 minute time slot you prefer. If you are more than 5 minutes late for the time you register for, your spot will be given to someone on the wait list. For more information, call Youth Services at 767-7660 x 3.